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Table 1 ACAI assessment dimensions and sets of priorities

From: Assessment approaches of English language teachers in the Saudi higher education context

Theme

Priority

Description of priority

Assessment

purposes

Assessment of learning

Teachers use of evidence to summate student learning and assign a grade in relation to the student’s achievement of learning objectives.

Assessment for learning

Teachers’ and students’ use of evidence to provide feedback on progress toward learning objectives and inform next steps for learning and instruction. Involves both teacher-directed and student-centered approaches to formative assessment.

Assessment as learning

Focuses on how the student is learning by providing feedback or experiences that foster students’ metacognitive abilities and learning skills, such as self-assessment, goal-setting, and learning plans. Involves teachers but is primarily student-centred.

Assessment

processes

Design

Focuses on the development of reliable assessments and items that measure student learning in relation to learning objectives.

Scoring

Focuses on the adjustment and use of scoring protocols and grading schemes to respond to assessment scenarios.

Communication

Focuses on the interpretation of assessment results and feedback through communication to students and parents.

Fairness

Standardized

Maintains equal assessment protocols for all students regardless of ability or exceptionality.

Equitable

Differentiates assessment protocols for formally identified students, such as special education or English language learners.

Differentiated

Individualizes learning opportunities and assessments that address each student’s unique learning needs and goals.

Assessment

theory

Reliability

Works to ensure consistency in results within assessments, across time periods, and between teachers.

Validity

Works to ensure that the assessment or evaluation measures what it claims to measure (i.e., learning objectives) and promote valid interpretations of results.

Mixed

Works to ensure consistency in measuring what an assessment or evaluation intends to measure, and degree to which an assessment or evaluation measures what it claims to measure.